But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless
Knowing that God is planning judgment should bring us all into a sobering reality of what we should be doing as Christians. These verses we have just read makes a statement that Christ Jesus is coming back, and He is coming back with a vengeance, handing out judgment to all those that are disobedient and refuse to accept Him as Lord and Savior. These verses also beg the question; knowing that judgment will be handed out, “what manner of person ought you to be?”
• A person full of holy conduit and godliness, accepting by faith the gift of salvation.
• A person that is disobedient, ignoring the Salvation that Christ Jesus came to bring.
Peter in writing these verses is not speaking of the rapture, where the righteous will be taken up when Jesus returns in the clouds, but he speaks of the day when Christ rides in on His white horse dispensing judgment with His double-edged sword.
These verses help us to recognize what is eternally significant and what is not.
As Christians we sometimes attach to great a value to temporal things. Hobbies and possessions consume us, leaving little time or energy to invest in what is eternal. More than anything else, Christians should be sensitive to the times we live in. Currently, the numbers of false teachers are growing, and many of us are being lured away by the half-truth biblical promises that they make. For this reason, Peter wrote these verses to let us know in no uncertain terms that if we are not walking in holy conduit and godliness, we will face the judgment that is reserved for ungodly people.
Now Peter is using some very apocalyptic terms to describe how the Day of the Lord will be;
• The heavens passing away with a great noise. With the heavens referring to the atmosphere of the earth. And the Greek word noise refers to a rushing or sizzling sound.
• Destruction of all the elements of earth here relates to a burning of the all the earthly elements and then a leveling of all that remains. This brings to mind the picture of a wooded construction site where they have purposely set fire to all of the buildings and surroundings, letting it burn to the ground and then bulldozing all that remains, leaving a fresh plot of land with not man-made materials left standing.
In verse 10 Peter reminded us of the certainty of judgment and showed us vividly how the earth will be cleared away to make way for the new heavens and new earth. This is confirmed in Revelations 21:1 which is declared:
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
In verse 11 Peter lets us know how we can be citizens of the new heavens and the new earth. That we must walk in holy conduit and godliness. So how do we walk in holy conduit and godliness?
• By reading and striving to understand the Word of God by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
o For Luke 11:28 tells us:
? But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
o And James 1:21-22 tells us:
? Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
o Again, in these two scriptures we are affirmed that if we receive the Word of God, act upon its teachings’ walking in a godly manner we will be able to be saved from the impending wrath of Christ.
And the question remains: “what manner of person ought you to be?”
• The kind that reads, obeys, and acts in accordance with God will and His Word.
• The kind that reads the Word only to find parts to use for their own gain, not living according to the Word, but according to the flesh.
Now in being doers and not just hearers of God’s Word we see that it is required of us to invest our time in the building of God’s Kingdom. Because in being doers of His Word we find that we are to be our brothers’ keeper. This we find in Ezekiel 33, and it calls out for us to be watchman, looking out for our brethren, warning them of the up coming wrath. And this wrath is certain and will come like a thief in the night. Because if we fail to do so we take the blood on those that we should have warned upon our heads.
And the question remains: “what manner of person ought you to be?”
• Will you be a person who is not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, willing to warn those who sit under the sword?
• Will you be a person who feels that it is not your responsibility to inform anyone of anything related to the Word of God?
Back in our opening Scripture in verse 12 and 13 Peter tells us that the kind of person we should be is one that is looking forward to and anticipating the Day of the Lord, because we will then see the new heavens and the new earth. As opposed to those who will be trembling because that day will mean punishment and destruction. Are you the kind of person that is looking forward to once again walking with the Father and bathed in His glory as Adam did in the beginning of creation?
In verse 14 of 2 Peter 3 we are told to be diligent in our work for the kingdom of God. And we do so because we look for the promise of the new heaven and new earth. And we do so because we do not know the day or the time the Lord will come for those that believe in Him. The kind of person we ought to be is one that:
• Looks forward to the coming of our Lord to receive us as His bride.
• Studies His Word being prepared to give an answer to anyone that seeks to be saved.
• Is a doer of the Word and not just a hearer as we too who love the Lord also want to see all come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
• Walks in holy conduit and godliness willing to help those in need.
• Loves thy neighbor as thyself. Not acting in envy or jealously, not looking to create strife, but to try and find peace with our fellowman sharing with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Humbles themselves before the Lord, realizing that we are His people, the sheep of His pastures.
• As Peter tells us to be without spot and blameless.
The kind of person we ought to be is one that strives to reach Christ likeness. Seeking to point everyone we meet to the one who can transform us from the filthy rags we now are into the perfect creatures that we become when we meet Christ in the clouds.
For Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:6-10
Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
So, let us continue in faith and love looking out for others, helping them to know the goodness of Christ, the promise of salvation in Him that brings us all from death to life. Let us work while it is still day because we have no way of knowing when the Master we return home to find us diligently working in His vineyards reaping the fruits of His kingdom. And I pray that we are not caught napping without oil for our lamps like five of the ten virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom. We need to be always prepared for the return of Christ.
Shouldn’t there be urgency about us to complete the tasks that God gives us?
For Jesus tells us in John 4:35-36:
Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
So, the question remains, what manner of person ought you to be?
